Small story 74 Tomy Mystery.

Small Story 74 Tomy Mystery. Ranjitha arrived at the posh apartment complex, showing her ID before entering. The complex, built by the renowned Falcon Group, consisted of just 75 villa-style apartments. She made her way to the Rose Flowers building and reached apartment 501 on the 5th floor. When she rang the doorbell, the owner of the apartment, Vinodhini, opened the door and warmly invited Ranjitha inside. "Please come in," Vinodhini said. Ranjitha stepped into the spacious hall, which was decorated lavishly, resembling the set of a Bollywood film. Vinodhini offered her a cup of tea. "Thank you," Ranjitha said as she took the cup. "Tell me, Madam, what happened?" Vinodhini lowered her voice. "Our Tomy is missing. He's been with us for over six years—faithful, loving, like a member of our family. You tell me, how could he go missing?" She continued, her voice tinged with concern. "My husband Nandakumar and I went to Mumbai for four days. Our servant, Lokesh, was looking after the house during our absence. He left today after receiving an urgent call from his native place, Arsikere—his mother-in-law passed away. We returned home at 7 AM, but Lokesh had already left at 6:30 AM. Before he left, he called Nandakumar. We searched the apartment, but Tomy was nowhere to be found." By this time, Nandakumar, a well-known criminal lawyer and a close friend of Ranjitha’s chief, Paramanand, had joined them in the living room. Nandakumar, speaking to Ranjitha, asked, "How is my friend, your Chief, Paramanand?" "He's fine, Sir," Ranjitha replied. "What time did Lokesh call you?" Ranjitha inquired. "6 AM. He called from the bus stand," Nandhakumar answered. "And how long has Lokesh been with you?" "Over 9 years—he's been honest and trustworthy. Tomy is like a family member to us. We treat him like our son." Ranjitha , understanding his distress. "I can understand your feelings," she said, turning to Nandhakumar. "Lokesh has been a trustworthy servant for years. Did he know you were coming today?" "We were supposed to come the day after tomorrow," Vinodhini replied. "But in Mumbai, I received the news of my old friend Vikram’s daughter’s wedding in Chennai tomorrow, so we decided to return early." "Can I call Lokesh?" Ranjitha asked. "Yes, I’ll give you his number," Vinodhini said, handing it over. Ranjitha called Lokesh. "Tell me, what happened to Tomy?" she asked. Lokesh responded, "Madam, there was a lot of family news due to the death in our family, and I received many messages in our native language, Kannada. In the midst of it, I accidentally sent a message to Nandakumar Sir, saying that I left Tomy in a daycare near the house and provided the details." "Thank you, Lokesh," Ranjitha said, ending the call. "Mr. Nandakumar, Lokesh has sent you a message in Kannada, saying he left Tomy in a daycare this morning. He was expecting you the day after tomorrow, but had to leave because of the family emergency." Nandakumar, who could understand spoken Kannada but not read it, had misunderstood the message when he saw it on his phone. He had thought it was about some other news. Ranjitha’s quick investigation had cleared up the confusion. She had discovered that Tomy was safe in the daycare, and all the worry was for nothing. "I’m glad we found out where Tomy is," Nandakumar said, sighing with relief. "I thank you, Ranjitha, for your sharp thinking. Even though Tomy is just an animal, he's a faithful member of our family. I'm also proud of my friend Paramanand and his team's talent. K.Ragavan 11-11-24